Improvement in elastic fabrics



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A, TURNER.

ELASTIC-FABRIC; No170,606 Patented Nov. 30,1875.A

UNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARCHIBALD TURNER, OF LEIGESTER, ENGLAND.l

IMPROVEM-ENT IN ELAISTIC FABRICS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 170,606, dated November 30, 1875; application filed August 30, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that, ARCHIBALD TURNER, of Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, have invented certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Elastic Fabrics, of which the following is a specilication:

111 the manufacture of What are known in vthe trade as terry77 elastic fabrics (in which strands of india-rubber are worked into the fabric for the purpose of imparting elasticity thereto) vthe non elastic strands which form the face and back. of the fabric have usually been Woven in such a manner that by the combination of the face-warps, by means of binding-threads. with the warps which form the back of the fabric, the rubber strands are inc losed in separate tubes, in which they are, to a certain extent, free to extend or contract according to the thickness of the rubber, the sizeof the tubes, and the variation of the tension to which the fabric is subjected. This freedom of motion of the elastic strands in their tubes gives rise to no inconvenience so long as the elastic strands are held securely at both ends by sewing or otherwise, and While they remainunbroken; but should.v any of these strands be'broken or cut, or be loosened at their ends, While they are in tension or stretched out in the fabric, they will immediatelycontract and run up in the tubes,and thereby destroy the elasticity of the fabric. If, however, these strands be tied or locked in the fabric throughout their length, they will bev etfectually prevented from running up in their tubes should they become accidentally broken, and yet theirelasticity will not be materially interfered with. The object, therefore, of my invention is, by the introduction into the fabric of What I call locking-threads, to'

securely hold or lock the rubber strand at numerous points throughout their whole length. By this means the inconvenience resulting from the accidental breaking of the elastic strands will be avoided, as, should any elastic strand become accidentally broken, at even three or four places, all the other parts will be securely held, and therefore such parts will still retain their elasticity.

In carrying out my invention I take a loom, just as it is prepared with six or seven shafts for weavin g elastic terry-fabrics in the ordinary manner, and I add thereto another shaft for the purpose of introducing Warp locking-threads. These threads are so woven into the fabric as yto mock the rubber strands twoshoots out of every four-that is to say, when the rubber strands are up the Warp-locking threads are down, and when the latter are up the rubber strands are down. These threads, during the succeeding two shoots, rise and fall vwith the rubber strands, and, therefore, by filling the tubes they act as locking-threads, and they will secure the rubber strands, and prevent them from running up in the fabric, should any of them become broken.

Gut-threads, laid inthe tubes parallel with the rubber strands throughout the fabric, have already been used for the' purpose of tilling -the tubes, but these gut-threads have not heretofore been woven into the face or back Warps, and therefore they do no t lock the rubber strands, but have simply acted as filling or gut threads. Moreover', they could easily be drawn out of the fabric by taking hold of one end, provided the opposite end were loose. Moreover, these gut-threads are apt to produce an uneven surface on the fabric, Whereas by Weaving the additional Warp-threads into thefaceand back Warps at every third or fourth shoot these additional threads will be so combined and secured with the other parts of the fabric that they not only cannot be drawn out, but they can never produce any roughness or irregularity on the surface. This mode of weaving, moreover, improves the elasticity of the fabric. The locking-threads, during two shoots out of the four, ll in the tubes which inclose the rubber strands, and act as lookin g- Vthreads, as they lock the rubber strands in the fabric. During the two other shoots the locking-threads, by being carried up and down into the face and back v varps alternately, are not only so secured that they cannot be drawn out, but they leave more room in the tubes for the rubber strands, and consequently increase the elasticity of the fabric.

In order, however, that my invention lmay be more clearly understood, I have shown in the accompanying drawing diagrams drawn upon an enlarged scale, illustrating the improved mode of weaving or combining the additional or locking threads in the fabric.

,Figure 1 is a `diagram illustrating, upon an enlarged scale, the longitudinal arrangements of the several threads and strands of which the fabric is composed. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of -the fabric, taken in the line 1 2 of Fig. 1, lookingin the direction indicatedl by the, arrow. l

The straight longitudinal rubber strands b are shaded with horizontal lines. The Warpthreads which form the face of the fabric are marked c c, While those which form the back of the fabric are marked d d, both sets of warp-threads being left` plain. The binderthreads e e, which are carried alternately up and down'from the face to the back warp, and vice versa, to form the `tubes for the rubber strands,are shaded with diagonal lines, and `the 4locking-threads a a. are shaded with` lines like `a i twisted cord. The transverse weft `threads f f, which are thrown across the fabric alternately above and below the rubber strands b,\are indicated by circles at Fig. 1.

VIt should now be understood that when the locking threads a have l acted as lockingthreads by running `parallel with the rubber" strands b b during two shoots, a-s shown in Fig. U1 at l 2, then at the succeeding shoot they are lifted out of the tubes and woven into the facewarp, as indicated at 3 4 in Fig. 1.

rEhen at the next shoot thelocking-threads a aare carried down into the back-warp, as indicated at 5 6 in Fig. l. It `will be seen that at the succeeding shoot they are left dead in the tubes, alongside of the rubber strands b, solas to act as locking-threads during the next two shoots. i. `From the above explanation it will be evident that, by this mode of weaving, the rubber strands b will be locked in the tubes which inclose them, and which are formed by the binder-threads e e, in combination with the face and `back warps. The rubber strands will therefore be prevented fromrunning up in the fabric should any of` them become broken. If desired, the locking-threads may, when a fabric Witha silk face is to be produced, be made of cotton plaited or covered with silk, instead of a plain cotton thread. l

Asa modification of the mode just described of locking the rubber strands in the fabric the i locking-threads maybe carried down into the back of the fabric at every fourth shoot, in-

stead of alternately up `to theface and down to the back at every fourth shoot. 'alhis modil i fication will belbest understood by referring to the longitudinal diagram, Fig.1" ,`in which' i the locking, binder, andother warp-threads are indicated by the samezkind of shading and t letters of reference as in Fig. 1.

` The plan of `locking shown at Fignlpos-i` sesses certain advantages, inasmuch as, when locking-threads composed wholly of cotton are drawn up into the face-Warp, as shownin the diagram, Fig. 1,.they,will appear through the s face of the fabric as well as the back.i `Now,

when locking-threads are introducedinto a terry-fabric that h as a silk face. lockin g-th read s made Wholly of cotton will, if introduced in the manner shown at Fig. 1, be liable to impart to l the face of the silk web a mixed appearance of cotton and silk. This will be prevenltedfbyyI y weaving the lockingthreads into the back of :a

the fabric alone, as shown at Fig. 19x" The locking the rubber strands `in the fabric is as eectually secured by the `plan shown at Fig. v

l as in that shown at Figfl.` w i .a It will be evident that in making a cotton fabric the method 0f locking shown in Fig. 1 i

will be most suitable `for such a fabric, as, when the locking-threads composed wholly of cotton are carried upto the face of thelfabric, it produces a more solid and firmer web.` l a I` do not, however, Wish to conne myselfto the z,

plan shown at Fig. 1 forwinaking cotton fab-` rics, as thelnhethod of locking shown at Fig.1 1' is equally applicable to cotton fabrics.`

Having now described my invention of `im-` i provements in the manufacture of elastic fab-V i 3 ries, I wish it to be understood that I.c`lai|n`` i -The `combination of locking-threads with the binder warp-threads, the face or back a l 1 Warp weft-threads, and rubberstrandafas 1 herein set forth,"for thepurpose of locking." i the rubber strands in their tubes, and prevent. i u ing thernfrom` running upin the fabric when broken, as above described. 1

Dated the 16th day of July, 1875. i

Witnesses: a a ALFRED BEoMWIoH, i 39 King Rchards Road, Leicester. STEPHEN PEAKE, l

115 Brunswick Street, Leicester.

A. TURn"ER.` y j 

